


Thinkin' That They've Won, It's Only Just Begun

by CorvusArdeidae



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Mari runs off to china, i'll update the tags as i go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-27 04:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15016889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvusArdeidae/pseuds/CorvusArdeidae
Summary: Five akumas, all at once. That's what it takes for Hawkmoth to finally win.





	Thinkin' That They've Won, It's Only Just Begun

They were losing. Ladybug and Chat Noir were losing. Hawkmoth had thrown akuma victim after akuma victim at them. First, it was a heartbroken intern. Then a divorcing couple, followed by a grounded child, a teen running away from home, and a man who lost a raise. Hawkmoth had created them all in the span of eight hours, and each was more powerful than the last.

Jury and Judgment, the divorcing couple, focused on Chat Noir. Jury swung his massive hammer at Chat’s head. Judgment used the metal plates connected to her arms by long, golden chains to tangle Chat’s feet.

Chat tried to dodge the hammer, but Judgment yanked hard and cackled when his feet went out from under him. His head wasn’t in the game. He rolled to avoid the hammer’s downswing.

Ladybug took the brunt of the attack from Caffeine Queen, FreeSpirit, and Drone. FreeSpirit zipped around her legs, pulling toys from his cargo shorts to throw, tangling her limbs with jump ropes. He squealed in joy.

Caffeine Queen shot scalding coffee from a long, silver gun hooked to the espresso machine she wore like a backpack. Ladybug, feet tied together with FreeSpirit’s rope, spun her yoyo into a shield, and deflected the coffee spray. Caffeine Queen shrieked, “Drink up, Ladybug!” and fired again.

Ladybug waited until Caffeine Queen’s espresso machine ran out of drink to lunge. She sliced through the rope tangling her feet and sprang forward, arm cocked to fling her yoyo, when a force like a train rammed into her side and pushed her away. Ladybug slid to a stop, head spinning. Racing toward her was Drone, a mouthless wasp-man, with razor sharp barbs lining the backs of his arms, translucent wings spread wide. Instead of fighting, Ladybug swung her yoyo around the industrial metal beams that stretched across the domed ceiling and sailed over Drone’s head. She landed and charged for Caffeine Queen.

Ladybug realized too late that she had lost track of Porterra. He tripped her suddenly and floated away into the rafters, placid expression on his face, half corporeal.  

Five akumas. How was Hawkmoth’s kwami handling this? How did the butterfly miraculous hold this much power? Master Fu had told her once that Hawkmoth shouldn’t ever be able to make more than two akumas at one time, let alone _five_.

She could hear him laughing faintly, barely audible over the taunts from the akumas. She spared a second to look—there he stood, among a swirling mass of white butterflies, twenty feet off the ground in the dome of his mansion. Hawkmoth. Gabriel Agreste.

She caught a glimpse of Chat, rolling away from hammer swing after hammer swing, trying to rip through the chains wrapped up his body. A blow landed on his shoulder. Her heart stopped. Chat yelled in pain, struggling to move when another blow cracked down on his chest.

“Chat!” The name ripped from her throat. “Use it! Please!”

Chat called, “Cataclysm.” The chains disintegrated, falling away in clumps of black dust. He used the second it took Judgment to realize what he had done to spring to his feet.

With three akumas bearing down on her, Ladybug knew it was her turn. This had to end. She lifted to her feet to call her Lucky Charm.

Nothing happened.

Her stomach dropped when the telltale beep in her ear sounded. It... didn't work? There was no Lucky Charm?

Panic flooded her chest. Ladybug threw her yoyo once more, lifting off the ground to sail above the battle. Her mind blanked as she scrambled for a plan. Over the noise, she heard Chat’s ring beep. It had to be his second warning.

“Tikki,” Ladybug whispered, “I need more time to fight them. Take the protection on my body down a notch to keep the suit on longer.”

Behind her, the faint hum that signaled Drone grew to a crescendo. She dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding another squirt from Caffeine Queen. She rolled to lessen the impact. A sharp pain shot up her heels, but she ignored it. Drone, confused, zeroed in on her again and dove. Ladybug caught sight of a circular window that was open wide enough for her to fit through. It was massive—big enough for her to shove Drone out of... at least long enough for her to find Caffeine Queen and FreeSpirit’s akumas.  

She lifted off again, swinging from beam to beam, slow enough that Drone could follow her. Her earrings gave another short beep, followed by Chat Noir’s down below.

“My Lady,” he called. She couldn’t spare him a glance. “I’m running out of time!”

“Hang in there, Chat!”

Ladybug swung faster, racing straight for the window this time. She felt, rather than saw, the stream of espresso coming for her—it was only a prickle of heat that splashed across her neck. She pivoted midair to avoid it. Her eyes left the window long enough that she didn’t notice the half present form of Porterra sliding it shut until it was too late. She fought to turn, avoid the window, but it was too late. She bounced off the glass, shoulder twisting painfully. Drone barreled straight through. Glass rained down across her body, but she felt nothing. Her earrings beeped at her again. Tikki. Tikki had kept the glass from shredding her body. But it was costing them time.

She swung away from the pane at an angle she couldn’t control. Her grip slipped on the yoyo and she plunged towards the ground. Caffeine Queen shrieked with glee. Ladybug felt the searing prickle again, but this time she couldn’t avoid it. Boiling coffee sprayed pick a painful place. The force of it threw her back, and this time she lost her grip completely. She did her best to tuck her body, to roll the impact off, but it still rattled her core as her ankle, knee, hip, and shoulder collided with the ground one after another. Her earrings gave a final beep, and the Ladybug suit dropped away.

Hawkmoth—Gabriel—laughed from above. “There she is! The miraculous Ladybug!”

Across the room, her Chaton’s suit gave way in a flash of green as he slammed into the wall. Marinette couldn’t bear to look, to see who her partner was. Not like this.

Hawkmoth ignored him. “What’s your name young lady?”

Marinette cupped the exhausted, half conscious Tikki in her palms. Staggering to her feet, she said, “You know who I am, Mr. Agreste.”

“Oh! A clever girl! When did you figure it out?”

Marinette’s throat constricted. A month’s worth of memories pulled at her heart: Chat Noir raising her suspicions, both of them patrolling the Agreste mansion in search of clues, a video from Adrien Agreste Chat Noir had shown her in which Adrien found a way into Hawkmoth’s secret lair. Ladybug and Chat Noir had used the details in the video to sneak inside earlier, before this battle had begun.

Instead, Marinette said, “Recently.”

“Brilliant!” Hawkmoth said. “I knew you would have picked up on my identity sooner rather than later! It’s a pity we have to end this now.”

Marinette braced. She tucked the limp Tikki in her purse.

“Judgment, Jury,” Hawkmoth said. “Take my son’s miraculous.”

… son?

Marinette finally looked. Her heart stopped for one beat, two. Her stomach became intimately acquainted with her feet. _No._ _Anyone but him._

Adrien Agreste leaned against the steel wall, leg splayed at an impossible angle beneath him. Sweat shone across his forehead. His jaw clenched, hands closing protective and fierce around the black ball in his hands. “Just try,” he snarled at the advancing akumas.

Judgment took Adrien’s hand and yanked on the ring, but Adrien curled his fingers into a fist. Jury grinned at Judgment. Then he rested his massive hammer on top of Adrien’s twisted leg.

Something swelled, powerful, blinding, hot, in Marinette’s chest. “Don’t touch him!” she snarled. Her feet moved before her mind did, sprinting. A rope wrapped tight around her middle, cutting up into ribs, forcing her lungs to empty. She skidded to a stop, dropping to her knees. FreeSpirit. She grunted, yanking hard on the rope. Freespirit stumbled forward a few steps—enough for her to use the slack to slip free. She made it a meter before the steaming tip of Caffeine Queen’s gun jabbed her in the neck.

“Not another step,” Caffeine Queen sang. “Or that pretty face will get a nasty burn.”

Marinette watched in wide-eyed horror as Judgment yanked Adrien half up the wall by the wrist. She popped the ring off his finger. The little black kwami disappeared into the piece, the tinny sound of his breathing now gone. Judgment dropped Adrien. He grunted in pain, face paling.

The sound of a step behind her made Marinette jump. She shivered as Porterra’s cold fingers pulled the earrings out of her ears. Caffeine Queen pressed the tip of her gun harder into the soft spot beneath her jaw. The familiar weight in her purse vanished.

Porterra ghosted to Judgment, who placed the cat miraculous in his open hand. Porterra then drifted up to Hawkmoth, presenting both pieces.

“At last,” Hawkmoth said, eying the two with reverence. “I have the two halves.”

“What are you going to do with them?” Adrien asked.

Hawkmoth focused on his son, almost as if he had forgotten Adrien existed. “Akumas, stand down,” he ordered, offhand.

Caffeine Queen lowered the barrel of her gun. Marinette took the opportunity to shove past her, Jury, and Judgment to crouch next to Adrien. Next to Chat.

“Marinette,” Adrien said.

She smoothed his hair back from where it fell across his eyes. “Oh, Adrien,” she whispered.

He closed his eyes as Hawkmoth, who had finally lowered himself to the ground, neared them. “My son,” he said. “It never had to be this difficult. Look at you! Let me help you.”

Hawkmoth dropped his transformation, revealing an exhausted kwami who fluttered pitifully by his elbow. Gabriel Agreste reached to stroke his son’s head, but Adrien swatted the hand away.

“Don’t touch me,” he spat. “I’m not your son.”

Gabriel’s eyes hardened. “Is that so?”

Marinette steadied Adrien with a hand on his chest. “What are you going to do with the miraculouses?” she demanded.

Gabriel’s attention turned to her. He eyed the placement of her hand, but said nothing on it. Instead, he told her, “Nothing disastrous. I don’t want limitless power, or for the city to fall. You must understand something, child. While I did send some dangerous akumas your way, it was never my intention to harm my city. Paris is my home and I intend to stay here. I merely wanted what gave you your powers. It will grant me a wish.”

“A wish?” Marinette asked.

“A wish. A single, magnificent wish.” Gabriel trailed off, a faint smile on his lips. It was the first one Marinette had ever seen on him.

She hesitated for a moment. “What wish?”

“That is none of your concern,” Gabriel said.

She caught Adrien’s gaze. His eyes, for the first time since she’d become his partner, were unreadable. He looked away. “What are you going to do with us?” he asked his father.

“Nothing,” his father answered. “The world doesn’t have to know who you are, Adrien. Your secret identity and Miss Dupain-Cheng’s can remain a secret. As a matter of fact, I’m prepared to offer her a deal.”

“Why would you do that?” Marinette asked.

“I don’t need the knowledge of my son’s… nighttime escapades to tarnish his reputation. Besides, your parents would rather avoid all that attention, don’t you think? After all, a scandal like this? It might temporarily improve business, but are they prepared for the threats the famous receive?”

“What if I don’t take your offer?”

“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to ruin them.”

Marinette’s blood ran cold. “What’s the deal?”

“I will pay for a plane ticket, first class of course, for you to fly anywhere in the world you want. I will pay for your permanent lodging, food, clothes, cars, trips. You will have a sizeable monthly allowance, lifelong comfort. I will ensure your parents become successful here.  But my conditions are you never return to Paris, contact my son, or tell anyone where you are living.”

“I’ll never see my family again,” she whispered.

“No, but you can write to them! Of course, I will have to screen every letter, but you may have some contact. I am not heartless.”

“Liar,” Adrien said.

Gabriel ignored him. “But remember, Marinette. If you don’t take my very generous offer, I will ruin your family’s business. I will not stop any akuma that seeks you out, either. Take a moment to think it over.”

Marinette stared, chest tight, as Gabriel walked away.

“Chaton,” Marinette said, voice low. “What do I do?”

“Take the deal,” Adrien said.

“What?”

“Take the deal. My father is cruel, but his word is law to him.”

“I can’t just leave my family, my life, _you_!”

“You heard him,” Adrien said. “You won’t be safe here. Your _family_ won’t be safe if you stay.”

“What.. what about you?”

“He won’t hurt me,” Adrien sighed. “I’m too valuable an asset to his company.”

Marinette’s heart twisted. “That’s all you are to him? An asset?”

Adrien managed a pained smile. “It’s all I've ever been, My Lady.” He raised a ringless hand to rest against her jaw, thumb tracing a gentle line across her cheekbones.

“I’ll come back for you,” she whispered.

“Don’t. Just run.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I hope you enjoyed this, and will stick with me 'til the end!   
> This is my first multi-chapter fic and I'm having a lot of fun with it so far.   
> .  
> .  
> .  
> Title is from my new favorite (and very political) artist, grandson ("Bury Me Facedown").  
> ... side note, anybody have tips for finding a beta? I'm not popular on Tumblr so I have no hope lol.


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